Shades Of The Past Auto Show - Sharing The Shades

Vintage-vehicle owners typically enjoy sharing their pastime with family, friends, and even some interested strangers. This can be especially true for avid truck owners, who enjoy sharing stories of events they've attended. As you know, Primedia titles often feature vintage cars and trucks from the Shades of the Past car club's annual event. And word has saturated the southeastern states as more and more folks have personally discovered what all the fuss is about.

The Shades of the Past's 23rd show was the third time that the upper limit of entries was extended to '64, and as a result, the club decided the two giveaway vehicles should reflect the popular change. Instead of one finished and one unfinished vehicle, the club gave away two turnkey cars: a '33 Ford Roadster and a '63 Buick Riviera. The registered contest entrants heartily approved.

The Shades show is a somewhat abbreviated event, held only on Friday and Saturday in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Early Friday morning the venue gates opened at 7:00 a.m., and those vying for a Top 25 pick were among the first few in line to claim a prime parking spot. This year, as in the past, the club enjoyed examining plenty of awesome rides-judges had quite a difficult task in selecting the Top 25 winners. Joining the club members were media judges who made special award picks. After narrowing the CCT pick down to three possibilities, our final decision was Roger Bennington's attractive two-tone '40 Ford pickup.

Friday evening, the show literally rolled to a nighttime cruise up and down the six-lane main street of Pigeon Forge. This popular activity continued until around 11:30, when festivities finally slowed to a halt.

On Saturday, the immaculate Top 25 award-winners and specialty award-winners were on display to inspect and admire. Also on Saturday, the Deuce gathering and Willys Roundup were held. Later, the awards ceremony began (around 4:30 p.m.) for those specialty awards, Southeast Deuce, Willys, Top 25, Street Machine of the Year, and Street Rod of the Year-and finally, the drawing for the giveaway cars.

Other visual entertainment included a good number of commercial venders, plus the sizable swap-meet area available for anyone who needed parts or information. Approximately 2,800 vehicles were on hand for 2005, which seemed to provide the perfect diversity for everyone's viewing pleasure.

With all this excitement rolled into two days, one can imagine the stories that will be shared with friends who'll want to attend next year's show! Many of these satisfied participants will be back year after year. So for those truck lovers who've never attended, plan on being in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, next year to see for yourself. The event is scheduled for the weekend after Labor Day-and will demonstrate exactly what the Shades of the Past car club does that's so unique and entertaining!